Jaclyn Smith Was Almost a Bond Girl — Why She Turned Down the Role

Decades before actors could juggle franchise films and TV series with ease, strict studio contracts often forced impossible choices. For Jaclyn Smith, that meant giving up a shot at Bond Girl stardom.

Jaclyn Smith almost had the role of a lifetime — but the actress had other priorities. The longtime star recently opened up about being offered the role of Holly Goodhead in the 1979 James Bond film "Moonraker."

At the time, Smith was busy filming the hit action series "Charlie's Angels," the show that launched her to superstardom. Unfortunately, she had to pass on the offer after "Angels" executive producer Aaron Spelling declined to adjust the shooting schedule to let her do both.

The part ultimately went to Lois Chiles, and although the film went on to be a major success, Smith says she never held a grudge. "I did want to do it, but in Texas, you dance with the person that brought you to the party, and he did, and I loved him for it," she told People of Spelling.

Smith wasn't the only one to sacrifice an outside opportunity for the sake of the show. Her "Angels" costar Kate Jackson had to turn down a role in "Kramer vs. Kramer" that later earned Meryl Streep an Oscar, for that very same reason.

"I get Kate was very disappointed and never got over it, but in retrospect, we did sign a contract, and there are certain rules," Smith said.

The cast dynamic shifted further after just one season, when Farrah Fawcett left the show to pursue more dramatic roles. "Kate had a hard time with Farrah gone," Smith says. "No one could replace her."

When Cheryl Ladd stepped in to round out the trio as Kris Munroe, the group dynamic changed once again, according to Smith. "Kate was sharp and fought for everything, and Cheryl was pretty easygoing, so I felt sometimes caught between the two because they were so opposite," she explained.

Jackson herself departed after the show's third season in 1979 and was replaced by Shelley Hack. The following season, Hack was in turn replaced by the late Tanya Roberts, who passed away in 2021 at age 65.

By the fifth and final season of "Charlie's Angels," Smith writes in her new memoir "I Once Knew a Guy Named Charlie," cocaine use had become a constant on set. "The more drug use I saw, the more time I spent in my motor home," she wrote. "I was in there a lot by the end of the series."

Smith already sensed the fifth season would mark the end of the road. Even so, through all the show's ups and downs, her bond with original costars Fawcett — who died in 2009 at age 62 from anal cancer — and Jackson never wavered.

"After the applause, the friendship is still there," she said. "That sisterhood was strong." Smith also spoke fondly of Spelling, despite the Bond Girl role that got away.

"He was a genius, and he was a great friend too," she said. Smith added that Spelling, who died in 2006 at age 83, was remarkably generous and often went out of his way to take care of the people closest to him.

"I did get a Mercedes. You had to make him not give you things, because he was very appreciative," she shares. "If you worked hard, he wanted to give you the moon and the stars and everything in between."